


Taako’s amazing stress management

by Sugarberry_and_tea



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Kravitz is Angus McDonald's Parent, M/M, Taako is Angus McDonald's Parent, Taako is a Mess (The Adventure Zone), Taako is overwhelmed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29344341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugarberry_and_tea/pseuds/Sugarberry_and_tea
Summary: Angus is off at school, Lup and Barry are off doing some nerd shit and Kravitz is out on a job for the next week.  Taako can manage being alone, or so he thought.  Things don’t quite work out for him though, but luckily his family is there to catch him when he falls.
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Taako, Kravitz & Taako (The Adventure Zone), Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone), Ren & Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Taako’s amazing stress management

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact I wrote this while procrastinating, I call it getting into character. 
> 
> My phone also died and deleted literally half of this and oh boy was that not fun. Hope you enjoy regardless!

Taako had spent quite a bit of time alone, after the whole voidfished memories thing of course. Point being Taako was no stranger to being alone, he could handle a little bit of time by himself. Hell if anything it would be nice, only having to cook for himself, not needing to worry that Lup was gonna set everything on fire or needing to checking to make sure Angus had done his homework. Besides it was only going to be a week, and they’d all be just a call away if he needed them, which he wouldn’t. Angus was off doing something for Lucas’s school, the little traitor. Taako had still helped him pack his bags and dropped him off at the school regardless of the fact that his own little magic boy had betrayed him, the kid was still his despite his lack of loyalty to the Taako establishment. Lup and Barry were off on some nerd trip, they’d been gushing about it for weeks and had taken time off of their reaper duties to go do whatever it was. Taako hadn’t really been paying attention when they’d explained it to him, he was not a nerd thank you very much. Or rather he’d been more focused on the fact that the Blupjeans and Ango being out of the house would leave him and Kravitz with some much needed alone time. He’d daydreamed about romantic candlelit dinners, spa time and all the fun perks of having a boyfriend. Those were all shattered thoigh when Kravitz broke the news that he had been assigned to a job that would take up to a week. So that left Taako alone and boyfriendless for that long. 

He wasn’t mad at Kravitz, he knew it wasn’t his boyfriends fault his job was so damn important. And the other man had been very apologetic and had promised to take him out on a little vacation, just the two of them, to make up for it. He couldn’t help but be a little upset thoigh, he’d already made an idealized version of their alone time and giving up on that made him feel saddened. One perk of being alone in the house though was that no one was here to stop him from having a little too much wine, it didn’t matter that it wasn’t even noon, Taako was sad and he was gonna deal with that the best way he knew how, getting tipsy. Half a bottle of red later he was feeling considerably better, and a hell of a lot more tired. A nap sounded real good right now. And besides there was no one here to chastise him for being lazy and napping the day away, he may as well do it, call it self care. As found himself standing before his bed he got the lurking feeling that there was something he was supposed to be doing today. He brushed it off though reasoning that he’d made sure Angus was packed and fed and dropped off and that his sister and boyfriend were grown adults who could handle themselves. Was it maybe something for his school? Yeah that was probably it, but whatever it was that needed doing could wait until after his nap. It couldn’t be that important if he couldn’t even quite remember what it was after all. And with that thought he fell down face first on the bed, starfish style, and promptly fell asleep. 

When he finally woke up it was 10:00pm. He blinked in the harsh light, apparently he hadn’t bother to turn the lights off before his little impromptu nap and now the brightness was killing him. He could feel a headache building thought weather it was from the lights or the fact that all he’d had to eat today was a piece of toast and some strawberries was still a mystery. Wasn’t it funny how all it took was his family being away for less than a day for him to become a wreck. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, smearing the light makeup he’d applied that morning. He’d have to take a bath, he could really go for a nice long soak. He could break out the fancy shampoo and conditioner and make an occasion out of it. He lazily ran a hand through his long hair, unsurprised to find it a tangled mess. He’d always been a restless sleeper so waking up to a nest of tangles was nothing new to him. He’d make a stop in the bathroom and brush his hair and remove his makeup, but first dinner. The hunger was bearable, he’d been hungrier before, but he had a kitchen full of food just waiting to be eaten so he might as well just go and whip something up for himself. He wasn’t feeling angering too complicated bit a man had to eat. And he knew that if Kravitz were here he’d be worried that he’d barley eaten all day. Just the thought of his boyfriends warm worried eyes had him getting up from the bed. His back ached and popped as he stood and he took a moment to reach up and really crack it good. He still had the nagging sense that he’d forgotten something. He wanted to brush it off, save it for after he’d eaten and bathed bjt ever since the whole voidfish thing he’d been terrified of forgetting something (or someone) important again. Mentally he combed his brain looking for something out of place or missing. He couldn’t find anything though, he still remembered his family, their 100 year journey and the 12 years that followed that before the story and song. He remembered meeting Kravitz and adopting Angus, being reunited with his sister and starting his own magic school. Granted he hadn’t known that Lup was missing when she was but he’d been aware that something was gone. He didn’t feel that now though, this was more the feeling get got when he arrived at the market only to realize he forgot his bag, or when he went out an a walk with Magus and reached for his sunglasses only to find he’d left them on the kitchen counter. 

He was pretty sure it was for the school thought, he’d just call Ren and see if she knew. She was good like that, always on top of things, if something was missing she’d be able to help. His stone was in the pocket of his coat, the very coat that was probably on the living room couch right now. That wasn’t a big deal though, he’d have to pass through there anyway to get to the kitchen. And so he started off down the hallway towards the stairs that would lead him to the lower level of the shared Blupjeans-Taakitz household. His footsteps echoed through the empty house, reminding him that he was alone here. The pang of sadness that hit with that reminder was not a surprise, but he reasoned with himself, he’d hardly notice they were gone, he’d be busy. Busy with grading the Advanced Magic’s final papers that were being handed back to his class the day after tomorrow...that’s what he’d been forgetting wasn’t it. 

His stomach dropped at the reminder. He’d hardly started the grading, his plan had been to spend the first two days of his alone time grinding on grading them and then enjoying the rest of his stress free time alone. He’d even taken some of Ren’s workload, “to keep me from getting too bored” he’d said to convince her to give him the papers. She’d been so grateful too, expressing how happy she was for the lightened load. He rushed down the stairs taking them two at a time. He needed to get those essays graded fast. He had less than 2 days and over 200 essays to get through. He could feel panic building in his chest, Ren had probably called and he hadn’t been there to pick up. He was the worst boss ever, taking extra work off of her and then not getting it done and not answering her calls. If he didn’t hurry it up he’d have to ask her for help too. How could he have been so stupid and forgetful. He reached the living room and sure enough his coat was there, the outline of his stone of farspeech visible thriving the fabric of the pocket. He shooed off the cat that was seated on the coat, giving the finger to the angry glare he got in return. He checked and sure enough 6 missed class from Ren, bless that girl and her tendency to worry. She was probably worried sick that he didn’t answer and now he’d have to explain that he fell asleep and didn’t get to grading any of the essays he promised he would. Or he could just lie. 

Taako hated lying to people he cared about, he was good at it, bit he hated it none the less. It always made him feel sick and disgusting. But if he explained what really happened Ren would feel obligated to help him fix his mistake. And then he’d be inconveniencing the both of them. He was an elf, an all-nighter wouldn’t kill him. He could knock these essays out and then nap for a day straight. He steeled himself and then pressed the call button next to her name. Punctual as ever she answered nearly right away, oh gods she’d probably been waiting for him to call her back like the worrywart she was. 

“Hey Ren sorry for not answering sooner, I got a little carried away” he make his voice sound light and joking. It was hard to mask the panic that he was feeling, and it was a struggle to keep his voice from wavering. 

“No problem!” Ren replied, cheerful as ever. “I just wanted to make sure things were going good, you took extra work after all. I just wanted to make sure you were really up to doing it all by yourself, I’m 100% down to help if you need it” for a second he thought maybe she had him figured out. Maybe she had from the start, maybe she knew he was useless at getting things done and had only been waiting to swoop in and do it for him. But no, he was Taako, he’d saved the whole damn world, and he didn’t need her help. Not today at least. He wouldn’t break his word, he couldn’t. He had to prove her wrong, prove that he wasn’t a complete failure. 

“They’re going great Ren, almost done. It’s amazing what I can get done with no one around to bother me” he joked. 

“That’s wonderful Taako!” Ren said, still ever cheerful “though if you’ve been working all day you haven’t eaten in a while have you” gods she was perceptive. His lack of a good answer seemed to confirm her suspicions. “Just Make sure you have something now, I don’t wanna have to call Kravitz” she joked. He laughed it off and continued the conversation. It was short, less than five minutes but all he could think of it as was wasted time. The moment after he’d said goodbye and hung up he immediately went into panic mode. Tucking the stone safety into the pocket of this trousers he rushed to the kitchen. There was no time for a full meal but Ren was right he needed to eat. He grabbed a banana and a slice of bread, not a great meal but he was pressed for him. After that he made a quick cup of coffee as he scarfed his makeshift dinner down and rushed to the study the moment it was done. Settling down he pulled out the essays and got to work, periodically sipping on the scalding hot coffees not waiting to let it cool down. There was absolutely no way he was going to be sleeping tonight, but his nap from earlier basically made up for that. More or less. 

An hour later he’d only made it through 8 essays and his nerves were on edge. Why had he thought assigning a four page minimum limit, well that part might have actually been Ren. But still most of these essays were over that minimum making them beyond hard to read and grade. Of course he could do a crappy job and get them done fast but he figured he owed to everyone to at least try to make them good. He’d save that for a last resort, when all else failed. As the hours ticked by he found himself increasingly uncomfortable. A quick run to the bathroom reminded him that he was still weeding the same clothes and makeup from earlier and that he looked a mess. He longed for the time to take a bath and change but time was of the essence. He settled instead for running a wet cloth down his face and attempting to at least remove some of the now smudged makeup that was still there. After that little endeavor it was back to the study and the endless grading that awaited him. His coffee had long since run out and he was too scared to go refill it, convinced that any time spent away from the grading would sabotage him. So instead he sat there and worked until the early hours of the morning. By then his head felt like it was filled with straw and his mouth like he’d been chewing cotton balls and he still only had a third of the pile of essays done. He stepped away for a moment to give Kravitz a call and assured him that everything was fine. He felt guilty lying to him, but if he told the truth Kravitz would try to drop everything and rush to his aide. Taako was a big boy and he didn’t need his boyfriend to ditch his very important job to hold his hand because he was shit at time management. 

After that another run to the bathroom had him staring at his face in the mirror. He looked tired, his eyes were rimmed in leftover makeup that had survived his quick cleanse the night before, the appearance heightened by the dark purple circles under his eyes. His hair was a mess of tangles and his bangs were nearly plaster to his forehead with grease. He was still wearing the clothes from the night before but despite not going anywhere then felt grimy and dirty. With a sigh he quickly gathered his hair up and pulled the tangled mess of it into a quick messy bun. It didn’t fix the problem but at least it got it out his face. A quick run to his room had him shucking off his shirt, letting it join the ever growing mound of dirty clothes on the floor. He really ought to do laundry, he was pretty sure he’d already gotten past the point he usually called laundry day, the piles seeming bigger than they usually were and his closet seeming a little too empty. That, like many other things would have to wait until he was done with his self inflicted torture. Who knew that grading essays was this hard. He was more used to being on the other end, writing the papers, not that that was any less stressful but at least he only had to do it once and then forget it until it was handed back. He’d never really thought about what went down in that time before it was handed back though. He felt a sliver of pity for every teacher he’d written and essay for in the past. Brushing past his musing he grabbed one of Kravitz discarded dress shirt and buttoned it up. It was big on him and fell loosely around his sides. It still smelled faintly of the other mans cologne and once again Taako found himself wishing his boyfriend was there. On his way out he stopped and grabbed a clip to keep his bangs back and out of his face. That would have to do until he could get a proper shower in. 

The whole thing couldn’t have taken more tjs fifteen minutes yet still it had Taako feeling guilty. He checked the schedule Ren had made for him, wishing he’d stopped to make coffee or at last grab a little something to eat before holing himself up in his office again today. He noted that he had a couple of phone conferences with parents of the students from his school scheduled for later that day. He groaned inwardly, he hated dealing with parents, they were always so nosey and sure that their precious little brat was being screwed over by the big bad magic school. If he had to hear another parent complain about how their little Timmy should get another try at the test he’d bombed he’d rip all his hair out. At least he wasn’t meeting them face to face he thought with a laugh. Because he sure wouldn’t make a good impression for his school right now. He still had an hour and half before the first conference and he put that time to use getting back to grading. He lamented his lack of coffee but made no move to get up and get some. If only his little magic boy were here to run errands for hims. But he wasn’t so Taako continued for yet another coffee-less grading session. 

By the time he paused his grading to get ready for the conferences he’d gotten through almost half the stack. Not bad for such a short time if you asked him. Of course though it was panic inducing to remember that he need to get the other half done in less than 24 hours. This is what he gets for procrastinating until the last possible moment. Gods he was hungry. After these conferences he’d make himself a nice big (but quick) lunch to make up for the missed meals yesterday. His mouth started to water thst the thought of the absolutely baller food he could make for himself later. Pushing the non school related thoughts from his sleep deprived brain he got himself ready for the fist of many calls. 

The first one went smoothly, only taking around half an hour. He was left with a small margin of time which he used to rush to the kitchen. He had about an hour before the next one call, he knew he should probably be working on tackling the rest of the essays if he wanted any sleep the next night, but food had to come first. He decided to just eat leftovers from previous days, and worked on setting up a quick casserole to slow cook for dinner. After that was squared away in the oven he observed the kitchen. It was a bit of a mess, which wasn’t unusual. The sink was pretty full of dishes from both yesterday and today, he added doing the dishes to his ever growing list of chores. First the laundry and now this, he really did suck at taking care of himself. It was a miraculé that everyone out up with him as much as they did. That thought sent a pang of guilt into his chest, he’d always been like this hadn’t he. Depending on other people, falling apart when they weren’t there to hold his hand. Even now, grown up with his life together he still screwed himself over. He couldn’t do his job on time and he couldn’t even keep up with cleaning his own damned house, how had he even gotten this far? He shouldn’t be thinking this, he knew his family loved him, knew he had so many people who would rush to help him the moment he said the word. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to ask for help. He didn’t want to be the one who could never do things on his own. Hell he’d been on his own for nearly ten years, though not by choice, and he’d made it. A week was nothing. In a few days none of this would matter, he’d be able to look back on his bad decisions and laugh at the him if the past. But for right now he was living said bad decision and he did not feel like laughing. He’d use the rest of the time for a little self care, essays he damned, he refused to completely fall apart the moment everyone else looked away. 

He wished he’d have enough time fully shower, he probably did but he knew himself, he’d get so caught up in it and probably end up late to the conference. So a quick cleanup it was, he switched out his trousers for a comfortable pair of leggings and wrangled him hair so it was slightly less tangled. It really needed a good condition thought, It was frizzy and still a little tangled, it was the best he could do for now thought he thought to himself as he threw it into a simple braid. Next he washed his face, throughly this time. All essence of the last days makeup was removed and he could practically feel his pores breathing. He hoped that wearing it so long wouldn’t get him stuck with a boatload of acne, though knowing his luck it probably would. He waved that thought aside, that was for the Taako of the future to worry about. Present Taako worked on spritzing a little bit of dry shampoo into his greasy roots and bangs. It was nothing compared to a real shower, but at least it made him feel less disgusting. He’d take a real shower tonight, after he finished with all the essays. Wasn’t that a hopeful thought. 

With one last wistful glance at the bathtub Taako trudged his way back to the office. Just a few more phone calls and then he could get back to grading the essays full force. The next call went considerably less smoothly, it was a parent who’d begged for their child to be able to take a class above their level. Both Taako and Ren had advised against it but they were so insistent that somehow they’d been let in. Low and behold their child was absolutely lost and had fallen behind, exactly the way Taako had said they would, shocker. Instead of taking the logical approach of “my child is falling behind in a class that’s too hard for them, therefore they shouldn’t be in this class” this parent had decided that the class needed to be changed to fit their child’s needs, since clearly their child was more important than all the others in the class. It was tiring bullshit, and Taako was done with it the moment it started. Ig wasn’t the fist parent lecture he’d gotten, and he was sure it was far from the last he’d ever get, but oh how he wished he could just snap and put this parent in their place. For real, how self-centered could a person be? And this was coming from Taako, a man with no shame to his prideful ness. Because of stupid school policies and all that jazz he could not yell at this parent, regardless of how brainless they were being. He was forced to sit through of an hour of complaining and ridicule, to the point where he had to end the meeting because the next one was going to start in ten minutes. The parent had them complained more and he’d been forced to add a continuation of the conference later in the day. For real, he was stressed enough as it was, adding this mess did little to make him feel any better. 

He let out a long sigh after hanging up from that call, he was so frustrated that he wanted to scream. He had another conference to get through though. The rest of the afternoon went much the same, doing conferences and working on the essays when he had a spare moment. Thankfully none of the parents where as bad as the one from earlier, whom he’d dubbed momzilla. By the time he’d worked his way back to the second conference he was feeling much better. He only had around a third of the essays left and he only had this one conference left. He was in the home stretch, he could do this. Sure he was probably subjecting himself to another hours of being lectured by momzilla but after that he’d finally be free to work his ass off. Then he could take a nice long shower, eat a him cooked meal and catch up on the sleep he’d been denying himself. Being an elf he didn’t really need sleep, he could just meditate for a few hours and be fine, Taako though was a lazy elf and he loved his beauty rest. He longed to just bury himself in covers and sleep for the next week until his boyfriend would be home to spoil him. Taako could use some good spoilng right about now. 

The phone call went about as well as he’d expected. Momzilla threw a fit and asked him to take her ideas into consideration. He promised he would, knowing full well thst he would do no such thing. Sorry momzilla. He made a note to look into getting the kid moved from the class though, no point making them suffer through a class they couldn’t follow just because their mom was a dick. Some classes weren’t for everyone and there was no shame in that, he’d work something out tomorrow. For now he just started the grind again. He was well used to powering through the essays now, the process nearly burning into this brain. He felt like a machine, repeating the same steps. Checking for sources, evaluating the reasoning, making sure the conclusion matched up with the rest of the paper. It wasn’t difficult as much as time consuming. The scratch of his pencil was a new constant noise at this time, only adding to the gently throbbing headache he’d had since that morning. At this post he didn’t know if it was from stress or the lack of water he’d drank today. Speaking of that his mouth was pretty dry, he’d made good work he could go get a drink. It was a little later than his usual dinner time so now was as good a time as any to give himself a munch break. His dreams about a good home cooked meal were crushed by the black smoke leaking out the top of the oven. Fuck, he’d left it in too long. 

Rushing over and quickly turning the stove off he reacted for the window above the sink, wrenching it open. The kitchen smelled of smoke and burnt food, the smell was strong enough to make him gag. He rushed and found his oven mitts and in seconds flat had the burnt pan out of the oven. Rushing to the door to the patio he opened it and set the burnt dish on the patio table, doing a simple spell to keep the dish from burning the wood of it. It was made by Magnus and he’d feel like an asshomr  
If he let it get wrecked just because he was careless and didn’t take his food out on time. It was the stupid second conference, he hadn’t anticipated it and it had et him back. He could feel the familiar sting of tears behind his eyes. It wasn’t that he was upset that he’d burnt his dinner, all chefs messed up sometimes, he was a tough boy a burnt dish wasn’t enough to break his heart. But the fact that he hadn’t been able to remember something as simple as taking his food out of the oven just solidified his earlier musings. He really was useless without other people here the help him. If Lup were here she’d have gotten it out for him, probably made some sides to go along with it. She’d make him shower too, tease him about being gross, but still setting out an outfit for him still helping him fix his hair once he was out of the shower. Barry would be there to check up on him and make sure he wasn’t getting lost in his work, he’d remind him that no work was more important then his well being. Barry, along with Kravitz would force him to at least take a nap. Hell Kravitz would sit there with him through it, let him use his chest as a pillow the way he loved. Even little Angus would be there to periodically come to see him and bring him snacks and drinks and stories. He wiped at the tears that had started to pour down his cheeks in the short time he’d been thinking of his family. He was Taako, he was used to being alone, it was nothing new. He was also Taako, who hated being alone. Who hated sleeping in an empty bed, hated that he’d have to go back inside knowing that the house was empty except for him and would be for days.

He saw a furry head start to peek through the open kitchen door did rushed to coral whichever cat had decided today was the day to escape back into the house. He couldn’t have them leaving him too. The kitchen was still Smokey when he made his way back inside. He’d just have to let it vent out, there was nothing else he could do for it. He added cleaning the burnt food out of the dish to his list of things to do. He scooped the cat up under his arms, ignoring its complaining meow. Taako needed a cuddle right now and this cat was all he had for that. He made his way out the the kitchen, the smoke was only worsening his headache and he was pretty sure it wasn’t good for him or the cat. The cat complained all the way, more than it usually did. He was almost worried that it had somehow gotten hurt in the time since he’d seen it, but was then hit with the realization that he hadn’t given the cats new food or water since the previous morning and hadn’t scooped their litter box since the day before that. No wonder the cat was pissed, it was a hungry baby. The food dish was in the kitchen though so after setting the cat down in the living room and hoping it would stay put he begrudgingly made his way back to the still smoke filled kitchen. The smoke had thinned out since he’d opened the window. He couldn’t really see it now and the smell was lessened but it was still there. Before he grabbed the food dish thought he decided to do a little bit of eating himself. The cat could wait another five minutes. He wasn’t feeling up to heating anything up so he settled for a cold sandwich which he gobbled down in no time. He washed it down with 2 big glasses of water, he was way thirstier than he’d thought. After filling up the dishes and putting them in the living room so the cats wouldn’t have to eat in the smoke he went and emptied the little box, taking the bag from it out the kitchen door and into the trash cans. 

He spared a glance at his burnt meal, he’d used one of his good dishes, that shit better come out. He should probably clean it up now before it hardened all the way but he’d spent enough time away from his work as it was. It was already close to 7:00 and he still had around a third of the essays to grade. With one last mournful look at his dish to got his ass back into his office. As soon as he was done he’d clean out the dish, and take a shower, and take a long rest. He was starting to feel like he wouldn’t have enough time for all of those things. He hated this feeling of uncertainty. 

He burned his way through the pages, hours melting away. His trance was broken at around midnight, he was almost done he only had 3 more to go. He’d really done it, or almost had. He was still going to count it as a win. He had to use the restroom and he figured he’d earned a little break. It seemed like he wouldn’t have as much time as he wanted for showering and cleanup but it was dark, cleaning the dish could wait for tomorrow. He just wanted to feel clean, he’d settle for anything at this point. His reflection looked almost worse that it had this morning. Sure his hair looked like he’d at least attempted to brush it, and he didn’t have makeup smeared down his face but his hair was greasy, his face oily and hollow. He looked like he was on the verge of passing out. After finishing up there he wandered back down the kitchen, he was feeling a bit hungry and he felt like he deserved a bit of a snack. He’d done good work after all, and he hadn’t even slacked off on any of it. These were the best damn essay grades ever. A quick snack of some leftover cookies had him feeling content. As he added the new plate and cup to the now nearly overflowing sink he made a note to do the dishes first chance he got the next day. He didn’t have the time for it now, but he never usually let the dishes pile up this much. Or if he started to someone would be along to help do them to lighten the load. The feeling of missing his family hit him again, he’d have to call Kravitz and Angus and Lup tomorrow. At least hearing their voices would sis him feel better. Barry, Lup and Kravitz were probably awake right now, and he could call them. He didn’t think he’d been able to keep how tired he was out of his voice though and he didn’t want them to worry over him. He’d add that to his mild long list of things to do. Damn that list was getting long, curse him for being such a procrastinator. 

For hopefully the last time today’s he found himself back in the study, pouring over the last few essays. His eyelids felt heavy as lead and his head felt like an iron weight. He found himself rereading sentences over and over, trying to formulate a coherent thought to add to them but his brain felt like wool. He couldn’t think, his head throbbed with a headache and his heart yearned for someone to hold him and drag him to bed. For someone to lie down next to him and let him hold onto them as he slept. Sleep...sleep sounded really nice right now. Yeah he’d sleep. 

He’d fallen asleep partway through the second to last essay. Like the idiot he was he slept hard and long through the first two alarms he’d set, only being awoken by the third. The blaring noise of the alarm sliced right through his head like a knife. He was disoriented and disheveled. He had to be out the door in 45 minutes and he looked horrid and still have the rest of this essay and another to get through. Fuck. He didn’t have enough time. Oh gods he didn’t have enough time and he was going to show up late looking like shit, with ungraded essays. Once again tears started to build but he stubbornly wiped them away. He did this to himself he wasn’t allowed to cry over it. If he’d just made himself stay awake, or done his work on time, or even just not offered to take on the extra work he wouldn’t be in this predicament right now. But he was stupid and stubborn and he had and now he was here, panicking and wasting time. He’d grade the essays. There were only two he had time. Besides he said he’d do it and Taako was a man of his word...most of the time. Point being he was a man of his word when it counted and this certainly counted. He’d promised Ren he could handle the extra load and so he would. She always took stuff back from him the moment he walking in the door anyway so he wouldn’t be able to finish the grading at school even if he wanted it. By the time the essays were all finally done and packed up in his bag he only had 30 minutes for literally everything else. Fuck. 

One last cursory glance to make sure everything really was in his bag and he was rushing to finish getting ready. He started in the bath room. It had been days now since he’d showed and he was sure he looked it. He didn’t have time thought. He felt gross as he unwound his braid and ran a brush through the hairs. Once he was finished he twisted it into a nice looking bun and spritzed some dry shampoo on the bangs. Moving on to his face he washed it and put on some minimal makeup. The rest of have to be done with a glamour. He knew Ren would notice and be worried but he had to. He’d been moving away from using it lately and she and Kravitz had been so proud when he’d stoped using it almost entirely. But whatever today was cheat day. He rushed to his and Kravitz’s shared room. Once again wading through the piles of clothes that he should really get washed. One more thing to do later. He only had 15 minutes and he still had to eat at least something. Maybe he’d be lucky and Ren would have made some baked goodies and brought them to work. Gods he hoped she had. Digging through this closet he was miffed to find that most of his favorite clothes appeared to be on the floor. They were no doubt wrinkled beyond belief and dirty so he couldn’t wear them with grace. He opted to throw a cute purple sweater on over the borrowed shirt he wore and a grey midi skirt. Neither were his favorites, the sweater itched a little and skirt never seemed to stay put on his waist but his options were limited. At least the shirt and leggings were comfortable even if he had been wearing them for a while. He hoped he didn’t smell. Scratch that he probably did, nothing a bit of perfume wouldn’t hide. He tugged on a pair of brown boots and threw a scarf around his head like a headband to hide his bangs. A quick look in the mirror as he applied his glamor had him relieved that he looked like a person at least. He grabbed his favorite perfume, something flowery and sweet that had been a gift from Kravitz. Not even a birthday or anniversary gift, just Kravitz being an absolute sweetheart and picking it out specifically for him because he loved Taako and thought he’d like it. And Taako did, both because it had been a gift and becuase it smelled perfect for him. With said perfume in hand he rushed back to his study to grab his bag. He’d have to leave the perfume there, he’d move it back to its proper spot later. He looked at his watch, heart sinking when he realized that if he didn’t leave in the next three minutes he 100% he late. It was already later than he normally left, he was really pushing it. 

He gave himself a few spritzs of the perfume and hastily set it down on the edge of the desk to grab his bag. A little too hastily, it tipped over the edge and fell to the floor, he didn’t even have time to react before it shattered and the now far too strong smelling perfume splashed the floor and desk. He wanted to scream and cry but he didn’t have time, he was going to run late and the strong smell do the perfume was only adding the headache that had been torturing him all day. He didn’t even have time to pick up the glass, he could only give his now ruined bottle of perfume one last look before rushing out, taking extra care to fully shut and latch the door so the cats couldn’t get themselves hurt in the broken glass. 

He was so careless and now he’d gone and wrecked a gift from Kravitz. What made it worse was that the other man wouldn’t even be mad. He’d probably replace it, but the perfume breaking wasn’t what was making him upset. Sure he was upset that it was broken, but he was more upset that he couldn’t even manage to not break his things. He couldn’t manage to make food, or mange his work, or make time for a shower or time to sleep and eat. It felt like he couldn’t manage to do anything anymore and he just wanted to break down and cry like a little kid. But he wasn’t a little kid he was an adult, and he had to go do adult things like go to his job as a teacher at the school he literally ran. No matter how much he didn’t want to. He rushed his way out the door, and made it to school just in the nick of time. He didn’t even have enough time to get himself settled before Ren came knocking at the door. 

He gladly handed over the essays, glad to have that weight off his shoulders, he didn’t miss the flash of concern she gave him upon noticing his glamor. He felt a sliver of guilt worm into his heart, she’d been so proud when he’d felt well enough about himself to stop using the glamor on a daily basis. Even if she didn’t say so in order to save him his pride. 

“You good boss” she asked carefully. “I know those essays must have been a handful, I’m really thankful you offered to help with them” 

“All’s good in Taako town” he lied “and those essays were a piece of cake, I saved the world and few words on a page is nothing” another lie, how many more lies would he tell. How much more would he let his lies pile up like the dirty laundry and dishes awaiting him back home. Taako had always been a liar, he’d lied so many times before, for reasons worse than sparing his friends from worry. Yet somehow lying like this to someone he cared about felt worse than any other lie he’d told. He was doing it for her he told himself. She was already stressed it was, she was also running this school, she didn’t have to worry about him being a big baby who couldn’t even handle his job. Ren took extra work all the time and handled it like the boss she was, and he did it once and completely fucked it up like the mess he was. She didn’t need to know. 

“Ok” she said warily, not buying his lies for a minute. “But you know if you’re never not ok, you can talk to me right” 

“I know Ren, you only tell me every single day” he tried to sound carefree and joking. But he hadn’t been able to mask the upset tone of his voice. What did it matter she already knew something was up. He just hoped she wouldn’t press further. 

“Ok Taako, I made these for you” she said, raising her hand to reveal a container of scones. “As a thank you for your help” he gratefully took them and immediately took a bite out of one. Like he’d expected it was immaculate. Ren was a damn good baker, obviously, she’d been taught by the best. 

“You did a lot of good work Taako” she said “I’m proud of you, feel free to take the day off, I know it must of been tough” she was being nice. He knew she was but it still hurt. She wasn’t trying to say it but all he heard was a woman who knew her boss wasn’t able to handle the work. A woman who knew that just a little bit extra was enough to send him over the edge. As much as he wanted to go home he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t be that person. He could be reliable, he’d prove it to both her and himself. He’d make it through this day and then more. He’d do his job and he’d clean up his mess and no one had to know it had even happened. 

“Taako’s good right here” he said, leaving her to stand awkwardly in his doorway, thick pack of essays still held in her hand “but I appreciate the offer” he tacked on. He couldn’t be completely rude to her. She deserved better than that. She deserved better than him. He pushed that thought back, refusing to dwell on it. He wouldn’t think about that, or the mess he’d left his home in. He wouldn’t think about anything but the job he had to do here and now. 

It worked for the most part, he was able to plaster on a smile and sleepwalk his way through his classes. If his students noticed anything off they didn’t show it, which was a relief. By the end of the day he had his bag packed up with this to take home and grade, thankfully none that were ergent like the papers from yesterday. Hiking the bag up on his shoulders he started his way down towards the office. There were some papers he needed to sign, letters he needed to respond to and the like. As much as he wanted to just head straight home he needed to at least get those first. He didn’t even necessarily need to look at them right away. Just toss them in the bag and skedaddle. As she shoved the heavy stack of letter into his already full bag he planned his approach for when he got home. He’d clean the perfume up first, he hoped it hadn’t soaked in too much. Next he’d put the laundry in and tackle the dishes and the kitchen. Finally he’d clean out the pan and then take a nice long soak in the bathtub and forget about the whole mess that the last day and half had been. 

But obviously plans didn’t always go they way you wanted, which is how he found himself sitting in a conference room instead of his living room couch. Someone had messed up, scheduled the conferences with the parents and hadn’t scheduled someone to do them. So he and Ren found themselves sitting through nearly three hours of the same repetitive bullshit he’d dealt with on the phone the day before. He wanted to scream and tear his hair out. Why couldn’t he just get a break? Was it too much to ask for a little bit of time for himself? Once again he found himself plastering on a smile and walking through the conversations. Ren must of noticed that he wasn’t fully there bit there was morning she could do. After all she didn’t particularly want to be there either. They just had to grin and bear it. By the time it was over and he’d gotten a quick hug and apology from her with the promise that she wouldn’t let it happen again he was at his wits end. Screw the whole plan he made earlier, he was going to take a bath and then cry himself to sleep. All adult responsibilities be damned. 

His hands shook as he tried to fit his key into the lock, he was on the verge of tears, but he determined to at least make it through the doors before he broke down. He’d almost calmed himself down enough to actually open the door when it opened from the other side and revealed the very concerned face of his boyfriend. Just seeing Kravitz was enough to get the tears started. Faintly he heard this keys fall to the ground and felt Kravitz swoop down and grab them and shut the door quickly before grabbing him up in his arms. It felt so sweet being wrapped up in his embrace, Taako cling to his shirt and sobbed. His legs felt like jelly and he could feel them start to sway beneath him, Kravitz must have felt it too since he adjusts his grip and picked Taako up, all while keeping him pressed to his chest. Taajo could feel them moving towards the living room, and could feel when Kravitz settled them on the couch, Taako perched on his lap. 

Taako knew what it must have looked like. Kravitz came home and found the house a mess, the dishes undone and the laundry piled up everywhere. He saw that his boyfriend couldn’t even manage to do that much, saw that he was too lazy to even take care of himself. He saw that Taako was careless, that he’d burned his own dinner and let the perfume Kravitz had so loving picked out for him shatter on the floor. Not to mention that he looked a mess. Kravitz could undoubtedly feel that his hair hadn’t been washed in a while with the way he was gently stroking It. Despite his glamour. Oh shit his glamour. He felt guilt again, Kravitz didn’t like it when he used the glamor. Didn’t line that he didn’t feel good enough without. He never outright said it, but Taako knew. 

He steadied his breath and looked up to meet Kravitz eyes. His guilt only grew when he said the concerned look on his face. He’d done this to Kravitz. He couldn’t even manage to on his own for a few days. Kravitz was going to see just how useless he really was now. That thought made his body shake with another sob. 

“Love, you can you to me” Kravitz said it so gently, like he was afraid Taako would break if he talked too loud. Hell maybe he would, he certainly felt like he was breaking. “Nobody’s mad, we’re just concerned” we, who else was here. Taako hadn’t seen anyone else in the little bit of what he saw. 

“Who else” was all he could manage out. His voice sounded hoarse, tears clearly evident though the tone. 

“Angus” Kravitz said and Taako felt a rush of fear. He didn’t want this son to see him like this. To see the mess he’d made of the house. Besides, Angus was supposed to be away with Lucas’s school, he wasn’t supposed to be home yet unless something had happened? He felt another rush of fear, this time the fear that his boy had gotten hurt. Kravitz must have seen it in his face because he was quick to reassure “he’s fine love, the trip was boring for him. You know how Lucas is, he’d much rather be here at home with us” Taako breathed a sigh of relief. He’d still rather Angus not be here to see him like this, but he was relieved that the boy was fine. “What about you honey, you aren’t fine. Do you want to talk to me about it” Taako looked down, biting his lip. He did want to talk to Kravitz but he didn’t know what to say. 

“I broke the perfume” he said “and burned the casserole, and let the dishes pile up and the laundry and I put off the essays Ren needed me to grade and...and” he trialed off as more sobs wracked his body. He hadn’t meant to spill it all Kravitz but once he started he couldn’t stop. Kravitz’s hand continued its gentle circles of his back while his other stroked his hair comfortingly. 

“It’s ok baby, we cleaned up the perfume and got the dishes done and wiped down the kitchen. Well get the laundry too, you don’t need to worry” Taako sniffled. 

“It’s not about that” he said “I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t handle myself for been a day” he whimpered “you guys left and I fell apart right away. I’m useless” 

“You’re not useless, it’s ok to need help. That’s what family is there for. Ok love, you don’t need to feel embarrassed that you had a rough day, it’s nothing to be ashamed of” when Taako didn’t answer he laid a gentle little kiss on his forehead “when was the last time you slept babe” he asked kindly. 

“Last night” it was true, while it wasn’t a restful sleep he had drifted off last right. 

“In the bed darling, it’s still made the way I made it before I left so I know you haven’t used it” Kravitz chastised gently. Taako’s face flushed at being called out, though what Kravitz was saying was true. 

“I’ve been busy ok” he huffed “and I did sleep a little last night just not in the bed” 

“Ok love” Kravitz said. “How about eating.” 

“This morning, Ren brought scones” Kravitz hummed in approval for that. “I am hungry now though” Taako said as an after thought. 

“Well I’ll tell Ango to whip you something up then” he said. 

“Kravitz, I’m a grown man I can make my own dinner. I don’t need my kid to do it for me” he said. 

“Yes you can, but today you’re going to be taking a bath so you can’t make it. Angus likes cooking for you, let us treat you today. Please.” Taako looked down. It should be humiliating to have to have his boyfriend and son take care of him but he really did need a bath, and he didn’t think he could cook for himself right now even if he wanted to. 

“Ok” he said “but you’ve gotten carry me to the bathtub. I don’t think I can walk right now.” 

“Fair enough” Kravitz said as he scooped him back up into his arms. 

Soon enough he was seated in a nice warm bath, he could smell whatever angus was cooking and it smelled amazing. He sank down lower into the water and felt the amazing way Kravitz’s fingers massaged into his scalp. He was capable of doing it himself, but being pampered like this felt way bette than he’d remembered. 

Kravitz had called Ren and told her Taako wasn’t feeling great and that he needed the next few days off, she’d given him her regards and promised to drop by with some food the next day. Taako could hear the relief in her voice, and had to wonder if maybe she’d been the one to call Kravitz and tell him something was up. Thoigh went he asked Kravitz just laughed and said. 

“It was the Raven Queen actually. I think Istus must have said something to her. She basically forced me to go home early, and Angus ended up getting added to the mix” dang Istus, always being up in his business. He really couldn’t be mad at her though, her intervention had really helped him out a lot. More than he’d like to admit. And he wouldn’t trade being here with his boyfriend and son for anything. 

The meal Angus made tasted amazing, he couldn’t even jokingly tease him about it. All of the crying and stress of the day had made him beyond tired, so it was no surprise when he and his boys found themselves cuddled together in Taako and Kravitz’s large bed. His head was resting on Kravitz’s chest in just the way he liked with Angus nestled up under his chin. It was blissful and amazing, he wished he could say he at least waited for Angus to fall asleep before crashing, but he was tired. He’d barley slept in the last few days so almost as soon as he laid down he he started to drift off, this time not thinking of the work to be done tomorrow. 

It was a stark contrast to the sleep of the night before, planning and in his actual bed. Surrounded by the people he loved rather than alone in his office. This time he was filled with love rather than the terrifying deadlines and problems that needed solving. Unlike the night before this sleep was restful. He’d surely wake up feeling amazing the next morning. But until then he slept, his son in his arms, which his lover holding them both.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never heard of a perfume bottle breaking like that, but I did have a floral body spray leak into my carpet once and my room smelled like a floral hellscape for weeks.


End file.
